The Dirt

Do you have a “go-bag”? What is a go-bag? How do you start a go-bag? Where should you keep a go-bag? Pam Wilson shares tips to answer these questions.

This is the second installment in Pam Wilson’s blog post series to help Benton County residents prepare for emergencies. It outlines six steps you can take this week – that’s about one item per day.

Whether it’s an ice storm, a wildfire, or another natural disaster, volunteers from Benton County Community Emergency Response Team (BC CERT) have been trained to help their neighbors respond. CERT volunteer Pam Wilson provides tips to get ready for the next event/disaster and to prepare for possible evacuation due to fire.

As of June 2021, our new office location is 136 SW Washington Ave., Suite 201. Benton SWCD staff are temporarily working remotely to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.  The office is not open to the public at this time.  Please contact individual staff for assistance with your conservation needs. Staff can most easily be reached by email.

In this post, Lauren offers 6 tips on how you can design a bird-friendly garden right in your own backyard.

If you have nest boxes for swallows or bluebirds, you may have house sparrows too. House Sparrows are considered by many a pest because of their aggressive nesting behavior. Learn what you can do.

Winter Native Plant Sale: order online from August 15-December 31 or until all plants are sold, whichever comes first. Then schedule your winter order pick-up for February 4, 5, or 7. Shop now at bentonswcd.org/shop/.

In my blog post The Native Link: The Importance of Native Plants to Birds, I describe the importance of native plants to the ecosystem, and more specifically, how birds benefit from native plants. But what exactly is the problem with nonnative, and more specifically invasive, plants and how do they affect birds and the ecosystem

Raingardens offer an effective landscape solution to managing stormwater on-site.

Can information from the soil explain why some prairie restoration efforts are more successful than others? In 2016, the Prairie Soils for Sustainable Restoration project set out to find the answer, thanks to funding from Oregon Natural Resources Conservation Service.

2017 was an exceptional year of Integrated Biological Pest Management (IBPM) education thanks to USDA Risk Management Education Partnerships Program funding and the leadership of Gwendolyn Ellen.

Here is a summary of the Watershed Council efforts Benton SWCD has supported when our budget allows.   Year Watershed Council Project Summary Amount Funded 2021 Luckiamute The funds will support staff time to plan and deliver a variety of Love Your Watershed Program events in 2021. The LWC also anticipates that many of the